Elijah has been a fee-only financial planner for over eight years. In 2025, he started Essa Financial to provide transparent and client-centric financial advice to folks in the Louisville community and beyond. As a teacher, Elijah’s favorite part about being a financial planner is communicating complex planning topics to clients in ways that are more easily understood. He enjoys the education aspect of being a planner, especially in a one-on-one environment. He values deep relationships with clients, and is always willing to listen and learn. He also believes exceptional client service (and swift communication) is the cornerstone of financial planning. Elijah is actively involved in the profession. He is an active volunteer with the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA), having previously served on their Genesis board for young advisors for five years and currently serving on the South Region board as the Membership Chair. He also reviews scholarship applications for the CFP Board Center for Financial Planning, which provides assistance to qualified candidates for the CFP® exam. In addition to his role as a planner, Elijah teaches part-time as an adjunct professor at the University of Louisville. Elijah resides in Louisville with his wife, Sarah, and dogs, Landon and Korra. Aside from financial planning and teaching, Elijah spends his time frequenting local coffee shops, running (short distances) around his neighborhood, playing video games, watching the Minnesota Timberwolves, and of course, spending time with friends and family.

Mark Thompson is the sole advisor at MARK Investment Advisors in Louisville, KY, with 15 years of industry experience. He previously operated Thompson Investment Advisors for 35 years before establishing his current firm. Outside of advisory work, he is a minority owner of Whitecloud Technologies, LLC, a company involved in medical spine device inventions and marketing. MARK Investment Advisors provides investment counsel and portfolio management services to individuals, retirement accounts, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and corporations. The firm combines technical chart analysis, mathematical measures, and fundamental review to guide investment decisions and may adjust cash allocations to preserve capital during market declines.

Matthew Doyle is a financial advisor at Trimingham Financial with 10 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and previously worked at Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company. Outside of his advisory role, he maintains a bookkeeping client and works as a warehouse associate for Amazon. Trimingham Financial provides financial planning and investment management services primarily to individual clients. The firm focuses on asset allocation using exchange-traded funds and offers both discretionary and non-discretionary management.

Jeb Jarrell is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with 10 years of industry experience. He is the founder of Plentiful Wealth, LLC, an independent firm based in Louisville, KY. Prior to founding Plentiful Wealth, he worked at firms including Ameriprise Financial Services and Merrill. Outside of his advisory role, he hosts a podcast focused on Kentucky history and culture and serves as treasurer and board member of a nonprofit providing housing services to the homeless. Plentiful Wealth provides comprehensive financial planning and portfolio management for individuals, high-net-worth clients, nonprofits, and employers. The firm combines fundamental company analysis with modern portfolio theory and offers institutional-style services such as outsourced CIO support for nonprofit endowments and pension consulting for employer plans.

William Bowers is the sole advisor at Bowers Capital Management in Georgetown, IN, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 23 years of industry experience. He has led Bowers Capital Management since 2002. Bowers Capital Management serves individual investors, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations by providing discretionary asset management, ongoing investment advice, and limited financial planning. The firm employs a rules-based investment process that combines quantitative multi-factor models with fundamental, technical, and charting analysis, supplemented by margin and options strategies, focusing on long-term, diversified asset allocation.

Ross Wright is the sole advisor at Wrightpoint Wealth, holding a Series 65 credential with one year of experience in investment management. He has served with the United States Army Corps of Engineers since 2007 as a Risk Assessment Advisor and Senior Review Manager, leading risk assessments and managing engineering project teams. Wrightpoint Wealth is an investment manager specializing in discretionary management of pooled and institutional-style portfolios. The firm combines fundamental, quantitative, and Modern Portfolio Theory analyses to implement tailored strategies, utilizing proprietary models and third-party portfolios through the Altruist platform.

A. Leslie Hornback is a financial advisor with Horizon Wealth Management, LLC in New Albany, IN, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and bringing 31 years of industry experience. Hornback has been with Horizon Wealth Management since 2016 and also maintains roles with Stratos Wealth Partners, Ltd. and LPL Financial. Horizon Wealth Management serves high-net-worth individuals, trusts, corporate pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable institutions, and foundations, focusing on financial planning and qualified plan consulting. The firm emphasizes a fundamental analysis and long-term buy approach across various investment products and is noted for its pension and qualified plan consulting services.

Kinson Wealth Group helps business owners, families and individuals live boldly with their wealth, have impact that matters and leave a lasting legacy. We guide clients through financial planning processes that align their values and purpose with their financial resources. What we do: - We help clients DISCOVER and communicate what's most important to them - We help clients evaluate their current situation, then DETERMINE the best alternatives and strategies for achieving their financial goals - We help guide and DIRECT clients along their journey of pursuing their goals

Bradley Mattix is the sole advisor at Mattix Wealth Management LLC, an independent advisory firm based in Jeffersonville, IN. He holds a Series 65 designation and has 11 years of industry experience, including running his own sole proprietorship since 2016. Mattix Wealth Management serves individual and small-business clients through written financial planning and provides client education via newsletters and public workshops. The firm does not manage assets directly but refers clients to a preferred third-party money manager for ongoing portfolio management, while remaining involved in explaining strategies and assisting with implementation.

Michael Dahlem is the sole advisor and owner of Market Cycle Investments LLC, holding a Series 65 designation with two years of industry experience. He previously managed Dahlem-Hollenbach Ventures L.L.C., a business focused on real estate investments, where he co-founded and serves as co-manager. Prior to his advisory career, he was involved in property management and retired for a period before founding his current firm. Market Cycle Investments LLC is a single-manager investment adviser providing discretionary management of sector-focused ETF portfolios and customized equity portfolios for institutional and qualified clients. The firm utilizes a strategy based on historical, macroeconomic, technical, and sector analysis to adjust allocations according to market risk, aiming to capture market cycles through rotation between long and inverse or leveraged instruments.

I came to the States from Cameroon at eight years old. What shaped me early was watching my mom run her own business while raising our family, and that gave me my first real appreciation for entrepreneurship. I spent several years at JPMorgan Chase and PNC Bank, working alongside high-net-worth clients and foundations and learning how large institutions operate from the inside. I wanted to bring that same insight directly to my own clients. What draws me to this work, more than anything, is that I love helping people. My motto in life is to give more than you take. I focus on first-generation high earners, professionals, and business owners because I am one. I know what it's like to be the first in my family to build wealth, and to carry the pressure of being the one who "made it" while still supporting family members financially. I also know what it's like to juggle a career, a growing family, and financial decisions no one prepared you for. I help clients navigate all of that without judgment, because I've lived it. I studied finance and computer information systems at the University of Louisville, graduating summa cum laude. Outside of client work, I'm an avid runner and fitness enthusiast, training for marathons and Ironman triathlons. I'm based in Jeffersonville, Indiana, across the river from Louisville, Kentucky, where I live with my beautiful wife.

Conner Cloyd is the sole advisor at Cloyd Capital in Louisville, KY, holding a Series 65 credential with one year of industry experience. Prior to founding his independent advisory firm, he worked as a senior project engineer at Vogt Power International while transitioning into financial advising part-time. His engineering background includes managing large capital projects and coordinating team efforts. Cloyd Capital serves individual clients, including high-net-worth households, providing comprehensive financial planning and discretionary investment management. The firm emphasizes passive, low-cost, tax-efficient mutual funds and ETFs tailored to client objectives and risk tolerance, and incorporates detailed retirement planning with Monte Carlo simulations.

David McManus is a financial advisor with Highland Capital Advisors, LLC in Louisville, KY, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and having 21 years of industry experience. He has been with Highland Capital Advisors since 2011 and previously operated McManus & Associates, Inc. from 2005 to 2019. Outside of advisory work, he offers insurance planning and the sale of fixed insurance products, including life insurance and annuities. Highland Capital Advisors serves individuals, families, retirement plans, trusts, corporations, municipalities, and non-profits with discretionary portfolio management, retirement-plan design, fiduciary investment management, and stand-alone financial planning. The firm utilizes a multi-strategy investment approach incorporating strategic asset allocation, tactical strategies, and various analytical methods, managing portfolios that include equities, bonds, REITs, and factor ETFs.

Brandon Moody is a financial advisor at Thompson Investment Advisors in Louisville, KY, with 18 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and previously worked at Aquila Distributors, LLC for six years before joining Thompson Investment Advisors in 2021. Thompson Investment Advisors provides investment counsel and portfolio management to individuals and entities such as trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and corporations, primarily serving non-high-net-worth clients. The firm’s investment approach combines technical analysis with fundamental and cyclical factors and manages portfolios mainly on a discretionary basis with a focus on capital preservation during market declines.

Jay Conner is a financial advisor at Arena Wealth Advisors LLC with 22 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at firms including Meritrust Wealth Management, Kestra Financial, Mwm Advisory, and Capital Asset Management. Arena Wealth Advisors provides discretionary asset management, comprehensive financial planning, and retirement-plan consulting to individual households, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm uses both quantitative and qualitative analysis to create customized investment programs and has a notable focus on pension consulting and ERISA 3(21) fiduciary services.

Paul Stropkay is a CFA® charterholder and financial advisor with 14 years of industry experience. He is the principal of Sapphire Fiduciary Advisors, LLC in Louisville, KY, where he has worked since 2021. Stropkay also serves as a director on the boards of Rockcastle Bancorp and Citizens Bank, providing oversight on banking operations and strategy. Sapphire Fiduciary Advisors offers discretionary investment management to individuals, families, trusts, institutions, and other advisers, managing approximately $90 million in assets. The firm’s investment approach centers on fundamental analysis and the identification of discrepancies between market price and intrinsic value across equities and fixed income, with a client base that includes beneficial owners and institutional mandates.

Garry Collins is a financial advisor at Whitestone Capital Management LLC with 17 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has worked previously at Brookstone Capital Management, Amazon, Inc., and Provident Retirement and Financial Services, Inc., where he also serves as President. Through Provident Retirement and Financial Services, he offers insurance products including fixed annuities and life insurance as a licensed insurance agent. Whitestone Capital Management provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and business clients. The firm offers discretionary portfolio management with a blend of tactical and strategic approaches, utilizing equities, mutual funds, ETFs, and fixed-income securities, and operates model portfolios alongside customized investment solutions.

David Karem is a Series 65-licensed advisor at Blend Wealth in Louisville, KY, with one year of industry experience. Prior to joining Blend Wealth, he worked at Legato Financial Group, Inc. and spent five years at Dean Dorton Allen Ford, PLLC. He is also a senior tax accountant at Blend Wealth Accounting LLC, an affiliated firm providing tax and accounting services. Blend Wealth serves individual and family clients, including high-net-worth and business-owner households, as well as employer-sponsored retirement plans. The firm uses a passive, Modern Portfolio Theory–based investment approach with diversified portfolios primarily composed of index mutual funds and ETFs, offering integrated wealth management and retirement plan consulting on a discretionary basis.

Debrah Nocito is a Series 65 licensed advisor with MC Financial Services, Inc. in Louisville, KY, where she has worked since 2013. She has four years of industry experience and is also a licensed life and health insurance agent. MC Financial Services, Inc. is a small registered investment adviser managing approximately $61 million for individuals, retirement plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm uses a structured financial planning process and a combination of risk-based asset allocation and tactical adjustments, primarily managing assets on a non-discretionary basis.

Richard Phares is a Series 65-licensed financial advisor with seven years of industry experience. He is the sole advisor at Sapphire Fiduciary Advisors, LLC, an independent firm he joined in 2026 after previous roles at Cerity Partners, ARGI Investment Services, and Pallas Partners. Sapphire Fiduciary Advisors provides discretionary investment management to individuals, families, trusts, institutions, and other advisers, managing approximately $90 million in assets. The firm employs fundamental analysis focused on high-quality securities, using both equity and fixed-income research, and offers advisory, sub-advisory, and tri-party arrangements.